Only a gil
by AzoraM
Summary: Felix is on a flower-scavenging mission for his sweetheart. Where can he find some? A visitor from the Console Concourse might be just what he needs.


Note: I'm just writing a quick scene based on some stray graffiti on the wall and my new OTP of 2012. (Don't worry, it's a canon ship. This is just a little friendship story with some reference to Felix and his sweetheart.) Based on some graffiti in Game Central Station.

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A week after the saving of Sugar Rush, Game Central Station was more vibrant than ever before. After hours, each train to the station was packed with eager passengers. The racers, fighters, jumpers, and wizards couldn't wait to share the latest gossip with each other. Before long, it seemed, the recent excitement would be the stuff of gaming legend.

On this night, one of the central heroes of the Cy-bug Invasion was on a mission: to ask his new sweetheart on a stroll around the station. It wasn't much, he knew, but Felix wanted to do this just right. Tamora was a cut-to-the-chase kind of woman, and he loved that about her, but he knew that she loved some sweetness deep down. It was Felix's job to bring it to her. He just needed to know where to find it.

"Excuse me, fella—-would you happen to know where I could find a bouquet of flowers for a lady?" Felix looped his fingers into his belt as he asked a lone baseball player from another game. He needed to crane his head up to see the other man's face, but that was all right: Felix would stand tall and confident.

"Imaluhguh", the baseball player answered, his cheek bulging—-something was obviously under there.

Felix cupped his hand to his ear. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

The baseball player's eyes darkened, or maybe that was just some shadow rendered under his cap. He made a deliberate show of moving the bulge under his cheeks around, then spit it as hard as if he was throwing a fastball—-the wad of gum was almost as big as a baseball, for that matter. The large pink mess grazed Felix's arm and landed on the floor behind him. "I'm allergic," said the baseball player, now free from the tongue-twisting influence of the chewing gum.

"Oh, I…see. Thanks anyway," Felix said, wrinkling his nose. He reached into his shirt pocket for a handkerchief, wiping the spittle from his arm. Some people just weren't lucky enough to be taught their manners, were they? Well, that didn't get him any closer to finding his flowers. He sighed, shoving his hands into his pants pockets. It was getting late—-if he waited too much longer, there wouldn't be time left for a stroll with Tamora before he had to return to Niceland.

Where were the flowers?

As if in answer to his question, Felix heard a high-pitched yelp and a loud crash behind him. He spun on his heel to see what had caused it, and his answer was right in front of him. At that moment, the delicate yellow and white blooms at his feet were the prettiest flowers he'd ever laid eyes on. He could just imagine Tamora holding them with that soft look in her eyes, that little quirk to her lips when he'd done a good job.

But it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Not even a second later, he spotted a trail of glittering blue glass, broken in the fall he'd just heard. The trail led to a woman crumpled on the floor, her long brown braid flung over her head. In her hands, she clutched the base of what had once been a vase of flowers. And stuck to her boot was that nasty wad of gum, a much duller pink than her long dress.

The woman moved her hand on the floor carefully, scoping out a glass-free spot for pushing herself upright. When she did, her green eyes locked onto the flowers that Felix had scooped up as he picked his way over to her. "Do you like them?" she asked.

"I do, miss, they're lovely. But allow me to be of assistance. Can you stand?" Felix carefully tiptoed over the glass to offer her his hand. She smiled up at him and accepted, though it wasn't long before he was the one looking up at her. Everyone was taller than Felix around here!

Well, everyone except Mario. He'd been glad to see his plumber friend at the big party for Sugar Rush a few days ago! Being the shortest guy on the dance floor was tough, though Felix knew Tamora loved holding him on her hip. And if he was honest with himself, he loved it too.

"Thank you," said the woman in pink, cutting into his little daydream. "Hey, you're blushing! You're not thinking about someone, are you?" She tugged on a button on her red jacket, smiling down at Felix.

"I am. My sweetheart. She's one wonderful lady—-really dynamite," Felix confided, unconsciously clutching the flowers close as if they were part of his girlfriend. He was looking lovestruck enough for the flower lady to know without a doubt that he was sincere.

She pushed a curl of hair behind her ear and smiled. "Oh! Are you taking her on a date? Or does she have to push you out the door?"

"She does the pushing most of the time, but I want to surprise her today. Hey—-wait, the glass! Here, I can fix that." Felix looked quite embarrassed for forgetting. He pulled his golden hammer from his utility belt and looked down at the glass, then up at the woman. "You aren't hurt, ma'am, are you?"

She checked herself quickly, smoothing her hands over her dress. "No, I'm all right. And you can call me Aerith. You don't have to be so formal, Felix!" she said, smiling at his little name tag. That was handy.

He noticed this and smiled, taking her hand and holding it firmly for a moment. "My pleasure to meet you, Aerith. Here, allow me to fix that." Before she could say another word, Felix knelt lifted his hammer and tapped the vase's base on the ground. The blue pieces instantly formed one full glass vase, ready and waiting for Aerith to pick up.

She knelt on the ground, turning the vase upright. With the pieces together once more, a painting was now obvious on the glass. A sun and some tulips were painted on the blue glass in white, clearly the work of an eager young child. Something so precious definitely couldn't be broken, Felix thought. Aerith stared at the pattern for a moment, astonished, before turning back to him.

"How did you do that?"

"It's my job! I'm Fix-it Felix Jr. I fix everything with this here hammer," he said proudly, twirling it in his hand before returning it to his belt. "It's all safe now."

Aerith looked between the vase and the still-scattered flowers for a few moments longer, pressing her lips together in thought. Thank goodness that vase hadn't been lost! It was all thanks to this kind man and his hammer. She started to gather the yellow and white flowers after a few moments, though she didn't move to put them in the vase. Instead, she looked at Felix slyly.

"If you're taking your sweetheart on a date, you should bring her some flowers! Here," she offered, gently placing most of the flowers in the crook of his arm where it was folded against his chest. She deftly snapped the stem from the last yellow flower and placed it in his shirt pocket, the opposite one from where the handkerchief was placed. Aerith looked quite pleased with herself when she drew back, quite happily holding the empty vase.

"Hey, I was just looking for some flowers! How did you know?"

"We have our ways sometimes," Aerith winked. "Now go have fun with your girl!"

"But there aren't any flowers for you," Felix argued, pulling some from the pile in his arms. "I can't take all of this."

"It's a thank you for fixing my vase. That's more important to me than any flower. I have plenty at home," she explained, gently pushing the bundle of flowers back toward Felix's chest. "Now go find her, all right? Don't keep her waiting!"

Felix had to agree. "Thank you so much, Aerith. I'll see you again real soon!"

"I'm holding you to it," Aerith laughed. "Good luck, Felix!"

She watched with amusement as he bounded off toward a game called Hero's Duty with a new spring in his step. 'That must be where Tamora lives', she thought. 'But I have my own sweethearts to pick some flowers for', she thought with a smile, turning back toward the Console Concourse. Her train back to Midgar would be leaving soon, after all.


End file.
